FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention is in the field of cotton gins and is specifically directed to a gin rib having improved wear characteristics and which is easily serviced in a minimum amount of time without requiring disassembly of the gin unit.
Conventional saw-type cotton gins employ a gin stand in which a plurality of spaced parallel saw blades are mounted for coaxial rotation with respect to each other with individual gin ribs interleaved with the saw blades so that one gin rib is positioned between adjacent saw blades to cooperate with the blades effect separation of the seed from the cotton fiber. In operation, the saw blades engage the fiber and pull it through the space between blades and their respective adjacent gin ribs with such space being of such a narrow dimension as to preclude the passage of the seeds so as to effectively separate the fiber from the seed.
The portion of each gin rib adjacent the saw blades is the area where the fiber and the seed are separated and is referred to as the ginning point. It is well known that gin ribs are subjected to excessive wear in and around the ginning point due to the friction with the seed and the fiber. Such excessive wear will result in the need for replacement of the gin ribs which is a time consuming and expensive procedure since the gin is necessarily out of operation during such procedure. One reason for the substantial amount of time required for replacing gin ribs is the fact that the clearance space between the gin ribs and their adjacent saw blades is quite small and any misalignment can result in sparks and a disastrous fire in the gin. Thus, it is essential that the gin ribs be accurately positioned when replaced and such replacement can be a tedious and time consuming procedure.
It has been previously proposed to provide sacrificial wear plates or similar members removably attached to gin ribs at the ginning point so as to avoid the expense of having to completely replace worn gin ribs. Unfortunately, many of the prior known gin ribs employing such replaceable wear members require removal of the gin ribs in order to replace the wear member. Thus, the installation of the sacrificial wear members frequently requires the total removal of the gin ribs causing substantial down time for the gin and resultant expense to the ginning operation Also, the various procedures for retaining the sacrificial wear members in the position on the gin rib must be reliable since failure of the retaining means for a sacrificial wear portion can result in substantial mechanical damage and fire in the gin itself with disastrous consequences. Unfortunately, some of the prior retention means for wear plates have not been reliable and have caused substantial gin damage.
Therefore, it is a primarily object of the present invention to provide a new and improved gin rib.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved gin rib incorporating a sacrificial wear portion.
Another object of the present invention is a provision of a new and improved gin rib on which a sacrificial wear portion is provided in a manner so that the wear portion can easily be removed for replacement without removal of the gin rib itself from the gin.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a new improved gin rib in which a sacrificial wear portion is connected to the gin rib for attachment or removal by a single clamping member which provides secure retention of the wear portion on the gin rib.